Tear strip seal



Feb. 16, 1960 s. c. GRUMBLES 2,925,188

TEAR STRIP SEAL Fil ed Feb. 12. 1958 4. INVENTOR.

T i S SAMUEL (REED GRUMBLES United States Patent TEAR STRIP SEAL- Samuel Creed G'rumbles, Lancaster, Ohio, assignor t'o Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware- Application February 12,, 1-958, Serial No. 714,839 1 Claim. (Cl. 215'-37) The present invention relates to sealed packages of the type in which a thin disc of paper or other material is bonded to the rim of a container to improve the seal and to prevent access: to the contents without rupturing the seal.

Most powderedcofli'ee is sealed in glass containers with a. disc. of thin' paper or othermaterial' bonded to the rim of thetcontainen. This disc has. to be removed by the consumer. after removal. of. the. closure. The disc is normally carried within the closure and sealed during the application of the closure. In application, the packer passes the filled containers under a roller which applies an adhesive to the rim of the container. The container with adhesive on the rim passes through a capping machine which applies the screw cap to the container and presses the thin disc in the closure against the rim of the container. The pressure bonds the disc through the adhesive to the rim of the container. When the closure is removed, the bonded disc remains on the rim of the container showing the consumer that no part of the contents has been removed and showing also that the package has been properly sealed. The consumer removes the disc and uses the closure for sealing the contents during consumption.

Powdered coffee is a concentrate and slight changes in the amount used for making a cup of coffee makes a substantial difference in the strength of the coffee and the taste of it. Most persons desire a particular flavor and, hence, an accurate measure of the coffee is desirable to achieve this result.

The common practice is to use a spoon for measuring the amount of coffee used. In some cases, a person desires a heaping spoonful but in many cases, the desire is for the amount equal to a level spoonful or slightly more. This is achieved at the present time by hitting the spoon against the side of the jar or against the rim of the jar. Coffee is frequently spilled on the table or on the floor in this haphazard operation.

The present invention is an improvement upon the bonded seal commonly used for powdered coffee as indicated above and more particularly is an improvement in facilitating the removal of the bonded seal and in simultaneously providing a means for readily and accurately measuring the amount of coffee in each serving. The improvement is obtained without material increase in the cost of the package and without change in the machinery or methods now utilized in the manufacture of the closure and the application of the seal to the container.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved seal for powdered coffee and similar products.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seal which will readily provide means for removing excess coffee from a spoon and for obtaining uniform quantities with the use of a spoon.

Another object of the invention is to obtain the improved seal without increasing materially the cost thereof.

Another object of the invention. is to. obtain the improved seal without changing the machines and methods for making the closure or for applying the seal.

Other and further objects of the. invention. will. be obvious, upon an. understanding of the illustrative embodiment about. to be. described. or will be indicated in the appended claim, and various: advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in. the. art upon. em.- ployment. ofv the invention inv practice.

A preferred. embodiment of the. invention has. been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is. shown. in the: accompanying drawings forming a part of the. specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is: a side elevational view of a. container with a closurev about. to be applied to it and. with portions; of the closure broken away to. show the. liner and the bonding disc;

Fig. 2. is: a side elevational view of a container from which the. closure has been removed showing the. disc bonded to the: rim of the container;

Fig. 3: is a perspective view showing the. removal of a portion of the. disc bonded to the rim of the container;

Fig. 4 is a perspective. view showing a container with a portion of the bonded disc removed and the. remaining portion remaining bonded to the container with an edge for removing excess coffee from a spoon or the like; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

While the preferred embodiment is described with specific references to soluble or powdered coffee, it will be understood that the invention is applicable to containers for other products.

Referring again to the drawings where like numerals indicate corresponding parts in the various figures, a glass container 1 is shown with a screw thread 1a for securing a closure to the container and a rim 1b about the mouth of the container.

A closure cap 2 is preferably provided with the usual screw threads 2a for engagement with the threads on the container in the usual manner. A cushion. disc of cardboard 2b or similar material is provided within the closure adjacent to the underside of the cover. A thin waxed disc 3 is below the cushion disc and is held in position by the engagement of the edge of the disc 3 with the flange or screw thread of the cap 2a.

The disc is an improvement upon those previously used in that a tear tape 4 is bonded to the inside of the disc 3 preferably along a diametric line as shown more particularly in Figure 2. This bonding operation may be performed in any suitable manner but preferably the tear tape 4 is bonded lengthwise to the cellophane or other type of seal while it is in roll form. The rolls may be the width of the disc or the tape may be applied to wider rolls before they are slitted. A wax, an adhesive emulation or other type of adhesive may be utilized for adhering the tear tape to the material in strip or roll form. The manufacturing operation of blanking out the disc and inserting it in the closure is preferably the same as now in practice and utilizes the same machinerythe tear tape being an integral part of the wider strips in the form of rolls from which the sealing discs are stamped.

As previously indicated herein, the containers are passed under a roller having an adhesive thereon which applies adhesive to the rim of the container. As the containers 1 with adhesive on the rib 1b are passed through a screw capping machine, the caps are applied to the containers. The disc 3 with the tear tape 4 beneath is by this operation pressed against the rim of the container and on coming in contact with the adhesive becomes bonded thereto.

Thus by a simple means, this invention can be adapted to .the" present manufacturing processes with little 'cha'ng in methods or procedures and at a negligible cost.

When the housewife removes the screw cap, the bonded disc is intact on the rim of the container. The housewife-iraise's the portion of the' disc at one end of the tear strip and that portion of the disc 3b may'be readily removed leaving theother one-half of the disc 3d bonded to the container with'a relatively straight edge 5. This providesan attractive package and in addition, the edges serves as a. convenient means for removing excessmate rialfrom a "spoon or similar means utilized for removing a; measured quantity of powdered coffee. The product may be sealed again with the closure and the remaining portion 3a...of the b'ondedpart will not interfere with the .rsIt willbeseenthat the present invention provides. an improved bonding disc for powdered coffee and :similar products; 1The.'tearmemberfacilitates the removal of a portiontof' the discfand simultaneously providesa'remaining portion useful in removing excess material from a spoon or similar means and facilitates accurate measurement of the product, so that coffee may be made with uniform taste and flavor. .The improvement does 'not increase materially the cost of the package and does not requireehanges in the method of making the closure or the method of applying it to the containers. Hence, the machinery now used for making and applying closures may also be used with the present invention.

' A's variousehan'ges may be made in the form, construe- 7 tion and arrangement of the partsherein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In a reclosable package, the'eombination of an open ended container and a .closure cap removably mounted thereon, said container having a eireulanrim-aboutits openend, said rimhaving aplanar surface,la planar tear' able paper-like sealing disc bonded to said surface ofgthe rim, a tear strip member having a straight line edge secured. to the tinder surface" of .said disc 'andextending completely across-the rim-of the container, said tear member being adaipte'd't'o'be pulled to sever said disc along said straight line edge and to remove a segment thereof secured to said tear member and to form an edge on the remaining segment of -the disc left bonded to said rim adapted to serve asa spoon leveler.

References Cited in the fileof this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS H Nowack .'Nov. 23; 1920 1,359,731 2,270,018 Davis Jan. 13, 1942 1 2,665,834 Anglada Jan. 12, 1954 

